Course Syllabus

English 7

Sections 1001 & 1001.2

Location: Online

Please review the CWCS Master Class Syllabus that will be used in the Parent/Student Orientation course.

Instructor: Debbie Nishihama

Email: dnishihama@cwcharter.org

Office Hours: Mondays, 9 am - 10 am

Class Information

  • Semester 1 - First Class Meeting: August 14, 2023 

Last Day to Add or Drop is 9/1/23 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline)

  • Semester 2 - First Class Meeting: January 9, 2024       

Last Day to Add or Drop is 1/19/24 (Students will be charged the full price of the course if dropping the class after this deadline)

CWCS’s English 7 online course allows students to study at home while employing technology as a learning tool, meeting with other students in a virtual classroom, and receiving live instruction from a teacher.

Course Overview:  This course focuses on reading and understanding common core/state standards in complex literature. Students will learn to think, analyze, and write thoughtful essays about literary and informational texts. They must complete assigned readings, essays, or other writing projects. For this reason, it is important that they attend class regularly, arrive at class on time, and come to class prepared to participate in meaningful discussions about literary and informational material.

The state standards require students to read stories and literature and more complex texts that provide facts and background knowledge in areas such as science and social studies. Students will be challenged and asked questions that push them to refer back to what they’ve read. This stresses critical thinking, problem-solving, and analytical skills required for college, career, and life success.

The state standards establish guidelines for English Language Arts (ELA) and literacy in history/social studies, science, and technical subjects. Because students must learn to read, write, speak, listen, and use language effectively in various content areas, the standards promote the literacy skills and concepts required for college and career readiness in multiple disciplines.

Curriculum:  Required curriculum may be available at the Learning Center on a first-come basis.  If needed, ESs can order curriculum using the OPS catalog which will have the most up-to-date pricing. Students will need the following: 

Textbooks: Students will be using the online version of Collections; the publisher is Houghton Mifflin. The traditional text and the online version come as a package that includes the student edition (hard copy). When students check out the package, they will receive a username & password for the digital component. The digital version and the texts will be available for check-out from the learning center on a first-come, first-served basis.  

The Integrated Online Student Edition has all the features of the print edition plus Digital Collections, which provide comprehensive standards of instruction in writing, speaking, and listening. Close Read Screencasts provide an audio and visual model of an analytical conversation about the text. In addition, the media resources such as History®, Lifetime, A&E, and Bio are seamlessly integrated into the digital offering. The digital tool also includes the FYI site, which provides curated, contemporary informational text for additional reading and instruction. Digital tools within the eBook enable students to annotate the texts they are reading, save their notes and annotations and then use those notes to develop compositions or Performance Tasks. The web-enabled HTML5 digital format allows device-agnostic access to all materials (works on all devices).

 Students enrolled in a Canvas English course will be instructed on using their online textbook's digital components.

Novels:

Semester 1 

The War of the Worlds by HG Wells

Semester 2

Materials: 

  • Binder Paper
  • 1" Binder
  • Pencils & Erasers
  • Composition Notebook

Requirements: 

  • Class textbook/workbook
  • Gmail Account and ability to open/create Word documents and pdfs (Adobe Acrobat Reader). 
  • Microsoft Word, PDF, or Google Docs are the only acceptable writing programs.   
  • Reliable Internet access
  • Canvas Login link: https://cwcs.instructure.com/login/canvas 

CWCS English Department Homepage

Important ~ If an assignment is not submitted by the due date, students will automatically receive a zero for that assignment.  This procedure is in place to ensure that each student's grade reflects accurately throughout the semester.

Overall course grade: 

20% Attendance/Participation

30% Reading Comprehension Questions,& Quizzes 

40% Writing & Projects

10%  Collection & Novel Tests

 

Grading Scale:  

E:  Excellent - consistently meets or exceeds expectations of 7th-grade English standards, attends class, completes all assignments, and participates in class. 

S: Satisfactory - meeting expectations of 7th-grade English standards, attends class, completes assignments, and participates in class.

N: Needs improvement - unable to or, with prompting and support, progressing towards meeting 7th-grade English standards, poor attendance, and/or missing assignments.

Attendance: Attendance is required.  The Truancy Policy applies to Canvas courses. An unexcused absence may be counted as truancy.

  • Excused Absence is defined as:
    The parent shall notify the teacher by phone of the absence at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.
  • Unexcused Absence is defined as:
    An absence that does not accompany a parent's phone call to the instructor at least 24 hours* prior to the time the class meets.

*If extenuating circumstances do not allow for at least 24 hours, then the teacher must still be notified prior to the start of class; allowances may be made depending on the circumstances. Examples of extenuating circumstances: car accidents, sudden illness, etc. Students should arrange a "backup plan" in case of unexpected computer problems the day of the class (i.e., make pre-arrangements to go to a neighbor, friend, relative, library, etc.)  

When students are absent, they must email the instructor or another classmate to obtain the homework assignment.

Absent/Late Work: Please email the instructor through Canvas if you will be absent. Students who turn in assignments late will not receive a grade higher than 75%.

Daily Homework:  All of the work for this course is assigned and graded by the instructor.  Parents are encouraged to review their student’s work before submitting it.  Assignments are arranged to keep students engaged in English daily and will be submitted through Canvas. You can submit a Word document, PDF, or Google Doc (download as a PDF and upload to Canvas).  Emailed assignments will not be accepted.  All communication will be made through Canvas’ messaging feature.

Please Note: Assignments are subject to change. Students enrolled in Canvas classes should log into the course regularly for up-to-date and detailed assignments. Students not enrolled in Canvas classes and using the course syllabi can follow the pacing guides’ weekly assignments.

 

Additional Resources: 

TurnItIn  

Turnitin is the most effective online technology for managing, submitting, tracking, and evaluating student papers online. Turnitin provides originality checking, interactive grading, and peer review, allowing instructors to deliver rich, personalized feedback in less time, encouraging notably higher student engagement..

 

Important Dates 2023-2024: (see also 2023-2024 School Calendar Final)  

Aug. 7:  First day of school 

Aug. 14:  First day of fall Canvas Classes

Sept. 1: Add/Drop date

Sept. 4: NO CLASS: Labor Day 

Oct. 5 -6: NO CLASS (non school days)

Nov. 10: NO CLASS: Veteran’s Day

Nov. 17- 24: NO CLASS: Thanksgiving Break 

Nov 27 - Dec 1: Last Class session this week (a-g)

Dec. 4 - 8: Last Class session this week (all other classes)

Dec. 4 - 8: a-g Finals Week

Jan. 5:  First day back to school

Jan. 8: First day of spring Canvas classes

Jan. 15: NO CLASS: MLK Holiday

Jan. 19th: Add/Drop date 

Feb. 15 - 19: NO CLASS: President’s Day Observance

March 22 - 29: NO CLASSES THIS WEEK: SPRING BREAK

April 29 - May 3: Last class session this week (a-g)

May 6 - 10:   Last Class session this week (all other classes)

May 6 - 10: a-g Finals Week

May 17: Last Day of School

 

Pacing Guide – 2023-24

 This Pacing Guide is Subject to Change

Check Canvas each week for assignments including:

 

  • Weekly Reading Comprehension Questions
  • Collection Tests
  • Performance Task Writing
  • Novel Assignments 

 

Fall 2023  

Weeks

Text

1 & 2

COLLECTION 1 ~ BOLD ACTIONS 

Read: “Rogue Wave” pgs 3-14

 

3 & 4

Read: Ship of Fools pgs 24-26 & Watch Was Abby Too Young to Sail

5 & 6

Read: “The Flight of Icarus” pgs 27-38

 

7 & 8

Read: “The Song of Wandering Aengus”

 

 

9

COLLECTION 2 - Perception & Reality

READ: “Magic and the Brain” pgs 77-84

10

WATCH: “Pavement Chalk Art” pgs 90-91

READ: “Another Place, Another Time” pgs 93-106

 

11 & 12

In-Class Reading Drama | Sorry, Wrong Number

 

8

READ: “The Song of Wandering Aengus” & Sonnet 43 pgs 71-76

 

9

READ: “Magic and the Brain” pgs 77-84

Novel Writing Assignment in Canvas

10

WATCH: “Pavement Chalk Art” pgs 90-91

READ: “Another Place, Another Time” pgs 93-106

11

READ: “Sorry, Wrong Number” pgs 111-124

12

“Sorry, Wrong Number” Continued

13

COLLECTION 3 ~ Nature at Work

READ: “Mississippi Solo” pgs 137-140

 

14

READ: “Allied with Green” pgs 149-152

 

15

No Class ~ Thanksgiving Break 

 

16

In Class Reading “Big Rocks’ Balancing Acts” pgs 157-164

17

Last Class | All Homework Due

 

Spring 2024

 

Weeks

Text

1

READ: “Remarks at the Dedication of the Aerospace Medical Health Center pgs 185-188

2

Read: Why Exploring the Ocean is Mankind’s Next Giant Leap pgs 193-197

3

No Class ~ Complete Assigned Work (Martin Luther King, Jr Day)


Read: Living in the Dark pgs 201-208

4

Read:  Your World pg 213

5

Collection 5 ~ The Stuff of Consumer Culture

Read:  Life at Home in the Twenty-First Century pgs 221-232

6

Continue Life in the 21st Century

Read:  Always Wanting More from I Want That pgs 233-236

7

No Class ~ Complete Assigned Work (Presidents’ Day 2/12 - 2/15) Read:  Dump pgs 241-243

8

Read: How Things Work on page 245

9

Read: Earth (A Gift Shop) pgs 249-245

10

Read:  Flesh and Blood So Cheap pgs 265-273

11

No Class ~ No Homework (Spring Break 3/1 - 3/15)

12

Read: The Story of the Triangle Factory Fire on page 275-277

13

Read: Uprising pgs 283-302

14

Read:  Craig Kielburger Reflects on Working Toward Peace pgs 307-312

15

Read: It Takes a Child pgs 317-318

16

Read: A Poem for My Librarian, Mrs. Long pgs 321-323

17

Last Class